“13A Legacy of Freedom College Tour” kicks off at Geneva

Christian artist Anthony Mossburg is coming to Geneva College as the first stop on the "13A Legacy of Freedom College Tour," sponsored by Resolution Hope. Mossburg′s albums include Cover Me and The Rambler. He will perform a free, acoustic concert in John White Chapel of Old Main on Monday, December 3, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

Resolution Hope, a non-profit organization founded to stop sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in the United States, is initiating the National 13A Campaign to end U.S. child trafficking. The group′s goal is to secure 1 million electronic signatures asking the President to call the Federal Government to the task of ending this U.S. epidemic.

Through these efforts, Resolution Hope aims to raise awareness of the problem of U.S. child trafficking, as well as the resources to facilitate state policy changes, secure Safe Harbor provisions and ensure appropriate penalties. The organization asks all concerned to take three steps: sign the 13A petition; tell 30 people about the campaign through Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn; and make a $5 donation.

The Department of Justice reports that every year, over 250,000 children are at high risk of being drawn into the net of criminal sexual exploitation, and the U.S. is now the second largest destination worldwide for women and child trafficking for the purposes of sex exploitation and slavery. In a recent hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, testimonies were made that there are currently 100,000 American girls caught in the net of the sex slave trade industry.

Resolution Hope will officially launch the 13A Campaign with a New Year′s Eve concert on Monday, December 31, 2012 at Stage AE. In addition to Mossburg, Matthew West, Brit Nicole, and Rebecca and Greg Sparks are scheduled to perform. General Admission Tickets for this show are $200 and tables for 10 are available for $2,500, with all proceeds benefitting the Legacy of Freedom Tour so that Resolution Hope can continue to offer free concerts on college campuses.

The group chose to begin the campaign in 2013 in honor of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which serves as a continued reminder and reaffirmation of the freedom from bondage that the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution affords every American. Geneva College is an appropriate place to begin the "13A Legacy of Freedom College Tour" because of the school′s long history of supporting freedom for all human beings, regardless of race or gender. In the 1860s, Geneva was a station on the Underground Railroad and, after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, nearly one half of the school′s student body was made up of freed black slaves. Also, Geneva was among the earliest schools to matriculate women to a full degree program.